C. Johnson. (2006).Enabling All Students to Learn Science: Using Porfolios for Instruction. The Science Teacher. p 32-35.
This article discusses how portfolios can be used in the science classroom for not only assessment, but also instruction. Using portfolios for instruction can be extremely beneficial to students. They encourage students to reflect and write about their learning experiences as they occur and they allow for students to have conferences with their teachers so misconceptions can be clarified. Portfolios give students a better understanding of the knowledge and concepts in the content area as well as give ELL students the opportunity to practice and develop their writing skills. Portfolios also create a learning environment that is student centered and student driven as opposed to teacher centered and it gives students the opportunity to create their own meaning from learning experiences of their own choice.
The portfolio model presented was adapted from the State Collaborative on Assessment and Student Standards Science Portfolio Curriculum. The portfolio model contains three pieces: investigation, research, and application. The investigation component of the portfolio is a scientific investigation that is guided by the teacher but performed by the students. The teacher proposes a problem to the students and the students (in partners) design their own experiment to test the problem. In the portfolio students will use their own words to describe the problem, experiment and results. During this process the teacher questions the students allowing them to assess whether the students understand the problem and concepts being presented to them. In the research portion of the portfolio, students are required to conduct authentic research based on a problem of their choice. At the end of the research, students have to make decisions about the issue and cite sources where they have to analyze and synthesize information to find solutions or alternatives to the problem. Teachers guide and assist students while they write about what they have learned and the potential problems brought to their attention by the teacher. For the application portion, students are required to apply scientific information they have learned about to alternative situations in their own lives. The entries for this portion can be creative a take the form of a letter, newsletter, an invention, or a model.
I find that their can be many advantages and disadvantages to this type of instruction. I think that using the portfolio is a great way for students to grasp the scientific concepts that they need to know as well as improve their written communication skills. I think that each component gives students the opportunity to learn and apply skills that scientists use. By allowing students to create their own experiments and investigations, it lets students experience the trials and errors of science. It teaches them that there isn’t one correct way to investigate a problem. It takes multiple attempts and even then the results may not be what you want or expected. Many of the science investigations that take place in classrooms are predetermined with specific outcomes. This gives students a false depiction of science investigation because this is nothing like how real science is conducted. I also think that the application portion of this portfolio is a great way for students to apply the concepts they are learning about in the classroom to the outside world. When students can see how science is relevant to them it will become more meaningful to them and they will be more likely to remember it. I think that overall this portfolio strategy is a great way for students to develop their critical thinking and problem solving skills as well as construct their own meaning. The only potential disadvantage to this approach that I see is that it looks like it can become very time consuming. Doing these types of projects would be beneficial however, with all the content teachers are required to fit in during the course of the school year it would take too long and take time away from the other required content. Also, if you are a teacher doing this type of instruction for the first time, it will take longer for you to direct the students and for the students to understand what they need to do.
This article discusses how portfolios can be used in the science classroom for not only assessment, but also instruction. Using portfolios for instruction can be extremely beneficial to students. They encourage students to reflect and write about their learning experiences as they occur and they allow for students to have conferences with their teachers so misconceptions can be clarified. Portfolios give students a better understanding of the knowledge and concepts in the content area as well as give ELL students the opportunity to practice and develop their writing skills. Portfolios also create a learning environment that is student centered and student driven as opposed to teacher centered and it gives students the opportunity to create their own meaning from learning experiences of their own choice.
The portfolio model presented was adapted from the State Collaborative on Assessment and Student Standards Science Portfolio Curriculum. The portfolio model contains three pieces: investigation, research, and application. The investigation component of the portfolio is a scientific investigation that is guided by the teacher but performed by the students. The teacher proposes a problem to the students and the students (in partners) design their own experiment to test the problem. In the portfolio students will use their own words to describe the problem, experiment and results. During this process the teacher questions the students allowing them to assess whether the students understand the problem and concepts being presented to them. In the research portion of the portfolio, students are required to conduct authentic research based on a problem of their choice. At the end of the research, students have to make decisions about the issue and cite sources where they have to analyze and synthesize information to find solutions or alternatives to the problem. Teachers guide and assist students while they write about what they have learned and the potential problems brought to their attention by the teacher. For the application portion, students are required to apply scientific information they have learned about to alternative situations in their own lives. The entries for this portion can be creative a take the form of a letter, newsletter, an invention, or a model.
I find that their can be many advantages and disadvantages to this type of instruction. I think that using the portfolio is a great way for students to grasp the scientific concepts that they need to know as well as improve their written communication skills. I think that each component gives students the opportunity to learn and apply skills that scientists use. By allowing students to create their own experiments and investigations, it lets students experience the trials and errors of science. It teaches them that there isn’t one correct way to investigate a problem. It takes multiple attempts and even then the results may not be what you want or expected. Many of the science investigations that take place in classrooms are predetermined with specific outcomes. This gives students a false depiction of science investigation because this is nothing like how real science is conducted. I also think that the application portion of this portfolio is a great way for students to apply the concepts they are learning about in the classroom to the outside world. When students can see how science is relevant to them it will become more meaningful to them and they will be more likely to remember it. I think that overall this portfolio strategy is a great way for students to develop their critical thinking and problem solving skills as well as construct their own meaning. The only potential disadvantage to this approach that I see is that it looks like it can become very time consuming. Doing these types of projects would be beneficial however, with all the content teachers are required to fit in during the course of the school year it would take too long and take time away from the other required content. Also, if you are a teacher doing this type of instruction for the first time, it will take longer for you to direct the students and for the students to understand what they need to do.